Reality Sets In
by ScorpioQueen051180
Summary: Postfinale, Mondler, Chandler and Monica start to struggle financially with the unexpected twins.
1. Chapter 1

Reality Sets In.

Post-finale, Mondler, Chandler and Monica start to struggle financially with the unexpected twins.

Set 6 months after the finale.

Chandler sat behind his desk at work; it was Monday afternoon, he was eating lunch and doing his finances at the same time. He picked up his sandwich from the lunch box that his loving wife had put together for him, two rounds of chicken and salad stuffed between thick crusty bread, an apple and a slice of chocolate cake. He was so happy, he had the perfect life, he looked at the silver photo frame on his desk, enclosed was a photo of his wife, Monica, and their twin babies, Jack and Erica. He was no longer scared or unable to commit, he was now responsible for a family, his perfect family and he wanted to provide for them and give them and himself a comfortable, happy life.

It wasn't as easy as he thought.

He turned his attention from the photo back to his computer screen. He was looking at their savings, or lack thereof, the total was dropping, fast. One thing that Chandler had learnt a long time ago was how to look after himself, his mother had set him up with a trust fund he couldn't touch it until he was 25 but he didn't want to rely on his mother's money. So since college he had stood on his own two feet, it wasn't like he had to struggle or had difficultly finding ends meet, he was just clever with his money. After he had paid his bills he gave himself an allowance and then put whatever he had left over he put in a high interest savings account.

The method worked very well.

That is until Joey moved in, Chandler and Joey had bonded very quickly and to Chandler he was the brother he never had, so when Joey had awkwardly tried to break it to Chandler had he didn't have enough money for rent one month Chandler had no problem paying his share. To Chandler Joey was family, a family he never really had, why wouldn't Chandler help Joey out? But then it happened again, and again, Chandler didn't want Joey's inability to hold down a job interfere with his future nest-egg, but as time went on and Joey's occasional employment dry spells continued they grew closer as friends, and Joey had helped out Chandler in his own way.

Before Joey had moved in Chandler had a bitter side, he hated his job but he couldn't find anything he wanted to do and was too scared to quit, Kip had moved out and that had reduced his small amount of friends by 1, he was constantly lonely and was terrible with women. To top matters off his only guy friend was married so he spent all his time hanging around with his only other friends in the city – who were girls who had made it clear they think he's gay! Actually he thought he deserved to be bitter, he was stuck in an unbreakable routine which was boring him senseless.

Then Joey arrived.

He had provided the fun and light heartedness that Chandler needed in his life and in that way Joey had saved him. So paying the rent every now and then was actually not a big deal in the greater scheme of things. Things got better when he turned 25 and had access to his trust fund. However as the years went on he guessed that he only put away 50 of the money he had estimated possible to save. Joey was an expensive friend but still Chandler never complained. He was happy, he still was no good with women and although he had convinced his friends he wasn't gay, everyone at his job thought he was but ultimately he had wonderful friends and a fun life, and although he never told anyone, he believed Joey was the reason – and so he continued to unconditionally love and support him.

When he moved in with Monica he managed to save a lot more since Monica was earning good money as a head chef. Then about a year after moving in with Monica he made the first in many large withdrawals, $7000 on an engagement ring for Monica. However in the scale of things that was actually minor, he promised to make Monica happy and having the perfect wedding made Monica happy so again he didn't begrudge any of the financial costs. But when Chandler's very well paying but incredibly boring job kept him from his wife he did something so drastic he surprised himself.

He quit.

He was stuck in a catch-22 situation, he and Monica were trying for a baby, babies cost money and his job pays well. However his job kept him in Tulsa, away from Monica which not only made him unhappy, it's difficult to conceive a baby when you're in different states half the time and even if they did get pregnant what type of father would he be if he wasn't there 4 out of 7 days of the week! So love won over money and Chandler quit. Things really got tight when Chandler had to start as an unpaid intern in his new career of advertising. They had to eventually turn to Joey, who was doing very well in his current acting job, to lend them some money. It hit his pride tremendously, he hadn't borrowed a cent from anyone since college, so he worked extra hard and got rewarded with a permanent paying job.

During this time they were still trying for a baby. At first he was glad it was taking him and Monica a while to conceive but then the doctors confirmed the worse; there was only a slim chance of them ever having a baby.

The news shattered them.

Deep down it wasn't until Erica gave birth to Jack did they truly believe that adoption was the right decision, they finally had a family. However then the doctor dropped the 'twins' bombshell, which concerned Chandler, he was thrilled that he had both a son and daughter but he had only planned for one baby, financially. They had a house and two children to support on two average salaries. It wasn't enough, not by Chandler's standards, Chandler wanted to earn enough so Monica could go part-time, and she could be with the twins more rather than sending them to day care. Both Chandler and Monica had above average childhoods when it came to money, in fact Chandler's parents were very well off and so they wanted to give their children the same privileged upbringing, however it didn't come cheap.

The nest-egg decreased even more.

Chandler sat contemplating what to do, suddenly the phone ringed.

"Hello, Chandler Bing."

"Hi Honey!"

"Hey Mon, what's up?"

"I need you to get some things on your way home."

Oh God, Chandler thought, more money.

"Yeah sure, what do we need?"

As Monica started to list all the things they needed Steve, Chandler's boss, walked into his office.

"Mon, sorry I gotta call you back." Chandler interrupted and then hung up the phone.

"Hey Steve, what can I do for you?"

"I wondered if you'd be interested in heading the Jameson project?"

"What? Are you serious, I thought you were heading that one?"

"I was going to but we have now signed a long term contract with the company so I want to assign them a dedicated project manager to oversee the account and to keep them happy. Their business will bring in millions."

"And you're offering it to me?"

"Not exactly, I'm offering you the chance to put in a proposal. I'm asking you, Chris Penny and Katie McKnight to all put in a project proposal and I will decide who gets the position."

Steve stepped forward and put a thick folder on Chandler's desk.

"Everything you need to know is in there, you have 2 weeks before I need the proposal, and then I will make a decision in the following week. The project start date is another week after that, so a whole month from today. Of course you will be promoted and receive a pay rise, which I suspect would come in handy with newborn twins. You interested?"

"Definitely! Thanks so much Steve."

Chandler stood up and they shook hands.

"No problem Chandler, you've progressed a lot since an intern and I'm happy to give you this opportunity."

Steve then left, Chandler sat down, he was shocked, here he was one moment panicking about money and the next moment Steve is giving him the chance of a promotion. This could well be the answer to all their problems.

Before Chandler called Monica back he couldn't resist from taking a peek at the Jameson project file which was inches away from him. He opened it a scanned through it, after a couple of minutes he realised this wasn't going to be as easy as he thought. This project was huge; it is going to require a lot of research, analysis and planning and he only had two weeks. Chandler paused and leant back in his chair – this was going to be a long and hard couple of weeks.

Chandler walked through the door just after 6.30pm, arms full of shopping that Monica had asked him to get.

"Mon?" He called out; he walked into the kitchen and found her sitting at the kitchen table, head resting on the table, asleep. He gently put the shopping down on the table, walked around and shook her gently.

"Mon, wake up."

She slowly opened her eyes and lifted her head up. She looked tired, and that made him feel bad, she had an early shift at the restaurant so she could leave early to pick up the twins from day care at 4pm. Which meant Chandler was on the morning run. After spending 8 hours on your feet, 2 hours taking care of twin babies single-handed was exhausting, now Chandler had a solution.

"Chandler, hi, what time is it?"

"6.40. I got some news come in the lounge." He said taking her hand and leading her to their sofa in the next room.

"Is everything ok?" Monica asked.

Chandler smiled. "Everything is fine, better than fine. Steve asked me to do a proposal for one of a new accounts, it's such a big account that he wanted to dedicate one person to look after it."

"And he asked you? Is that a promotion?" Monica asked excitedly.

"Close, he asked me and two other people to put in a proposal and he will choose the best, which then leads to the promotion."

"Well that's good; you just better do a good job." Monica teased.

"That's the only slight catch, and it's not a big one." Chandler said quickly.

"Okay then." Monica asked.

"I have two weeks to do this and in any other situation something this big would have 3 people working on it for about a month. So I'm going to have to work pretty much solid for the next two weeks." When Chandler saw Monica's face drop he hurried on with the advantages of the promotion. "It won't be a regular thing one, just these next two weeks and then if I get the job we'll be so much more comfortable. You could cut down to part-time, be with the twins rather than leaving them in day care." Chandler took her hand in his. "I was going to wait until the twin's first birthday but if I get this I'll do it straight away." Monica looked confused. "I'm going to set up a trust fund for each of them, that they won't be able to touch until they are 25." Monica got tears in her eyes; Chandler paused and looked at her worried. "Honey what's wrong?"

"Oh, no, no, happy tears, these are happy tears. I just can't believe much we have grown and now we are parents and setting up trust funds for our children." Chandler smiled and pulled her into a hug.

"I promised to make you happy." He said into her hair. Monica pulled out of his embrace.

"You did and I am." Monica said, staring him straight in his eyes. They leant forward to meet each other's lips but just as they were millimetres apart they heard one of the twins cry on the baby monitor. Monica went to stand up but Chandler stopped her.

"You stay here honey, you're exhausted, put your feet up and I'll go and check on them." They quickly pecked each other on the lips then Chandler stood up. Monica turned and laid down on the couch while Chandler walked up the stairs.

Chandler walked down the short corridor and into the twins' bedroom. Erica was crying, he walked over and picked her up gently.

"Hey Baby Girl, why so sad? Come on you can tell Daddy." He said gently and lovingly while he cradled her in his arms.

He rocked her back and forth. "You need changing Baby Girl?" He checked, "no, ok are you hungry?"

"No," a voice said. Chandler turned around surprised.

"Mon you scared me. So if she isn't wet or hungry maybe she just needs a Daddy-hug." He held her closed and kissed her gently on the forehead; Monica watched them, overwhelmed with love. Chandler pulled away and his face looked concerned. "She feels a little hot Mon," she stepped closer and touched her forehead.

"Hummm, the workers at the day care said that a couple of the children have just come down with the flu and we should keep an eye out."

Chandler looked panicked. "But they'll be ok right, I mean it's not going to kill them or our Erica is it Monica, 'cos I know the flu isn't serious for us but they are tiny babies."

"Chandler calm down – she'll be fine, to be sure we'll bring both cribs into our bedroom tonight. Then tomorrow I'll take her and Jack to the doctor to be sure." Monica said trying to calm him.

The next evening (Tuesday) both Jack and Erica had the flu, Monica had taken them to the doctor who prescribed some medicine but said that it will take a few days to work and if they showed now signs of improvement by the Friday morning to bring them back to see him.

Monica had left them to sleep in their bedroom and they kept checking them every half an hour. They had invited the gang, except Joey who was in LA, over to tell them Chandler's news. It was 7pm when they all started turning up, Ross and Rachel with Emma, and a pregnant Phoebe with Mike. They sat around the same table but in a different kitchen and talked about old times, after Monica's perfect, as usual, meal they all sat around same coffee table and white couch and Chandler announced his news.

"…So basically I gotta work my ass off the next 2 weeks and hopefully I will beat my other 2 colleagues and get a nice promotion. Unfortunately I got to put in some very long hours over the next couple of weeks so I was wondering if you could help us out with the twins, just until I finish this proposal."

"Oh yeah totally, congratulations Chandler." Rachel said, standing up and giving him a big hug. That was the cue, the rest of the gang all joined in one big group hug.

By the time Thursday night came around Chandler was working until 10pm, the twins were getting better but Monica had caught the flu from the twins and didn't fell great. She was curled on the couch wrapped in a blanket when Chandler came home. Monica heard him come in and she sat up, "hey honey, how's your day go?"

"Not so great." Chandler rubbed his neck and closed his soar eyes. He looked exhausted, Monica noted. He'd been getting into work early as well, working on the big proposal.

"Come here," Monica said.

Chandler walked over and sat on the floor in front of the couch. Monica scooted over so she had one leg on either side of him. She gently rubbed his tight muscles, trying to ease his pain. Monica took massage lessons from Phoebe years ago, Chandler often got tension in his shoulders from working at a computer and she didn't like the idea of another woman touching her then boyfriend, so she got Phoebe to teach her.

Monica felt terrible, the flu was hitting her weakened immune system, and recently she has been working 8 hour shifts on her feet and being a mother to two sick children.

"Chandler. I've caught the flu from the twins; I don't feel too great so I'm going to bed. Oh and I'll sleep in the twins' room tonight, I don't want you to catch this flu." She kissed the top of his head, stood up and walked upstairs.

Chandler was too tired to argue, and he knew that she knew best, even though every tiny part of his body ached for her touch. He sighed and walked into the kitchen, he hadn't eaten since lunch. He looked at the clock on the wall, 10.25pm, it was late. Chandler walked over to the fridge and found a plate of lasagne waiting there for him. He smiled, silently thanking Monica, and took and plate out the fridge and popped it in the microwave. Chandler then walked over to this briefcase and took out his laptop and the Jameson file, then placed them on the table. He needed to have at least Saturday or Sunday off to relax so he needed to get as much done as possible, tomorrow was Friday.

Time was ticking.

It was 3am when Chandler finally found himself falling asleep, he jerked awake and turned his laptop off. He cleared up and finally pulled himself up the stairs to bed. Before going into his room he popped into the twins' room. He walked over to the twins' cribs and checked on them, and then he turned to Monica who was sleeping on the single bed in the corner of the room. He watched her sleep for a few moments then knelt down in front of her. He studied her face, it was flushed, he frowned and placed his hand on his forehead, it felt warm. He stood up and walked out of the room and into the bathroom to get the thermometer. When he returned he gently put the thermometer in her mouth, after a few minutes he took it out and checked it – 99.5. It wasn't that high, yet, Monica had told him that the twins' temperature got up to 102 before it broke and came back down. He hated that she had to tell him rather than being there to help her, but he needed to nail this promotion, it was for them.

Chandler looked at his watch, 3.45am, he was tired, he decided to get some shut eye, so he got undressed and crawled into bed. He leant over and set the alarm clock for 6am and then tried to sleep, it was hard sleeping without her next to him. However exhaustion got the better of him so he fell asleep in a deep restless sleep.

At 5.15 Jack woke up and started to cry, not wanting to wake Monica Chandler flew out of bed and into the twins' bedroom, he picked up Jack and realised he needed changing. Chandler carried him over to the changing table and changed him. Chandler felt just as exhausted as he did before he went to bed, he picked up Jack and put him back down, he quickly checked on Erica and then turned to Monica. Her face was still flushed and her forehead felt a bit hotter than earlier. He put the thermometer back in her mouth and checks her temperature again. It had gone up to 100.1, not good, it was rising. He sighed and decided since it was less than an hour before he had to get up; he wasn't going to bother going back to bed.

Chandler had a shower and got dressed; he then went downstairs to make some strong coffee. He got a glass of water and the medicine the doctor had prescribed and went back upstairs, he gently roused Monica.

"Mon, sweetie, sorry to wake you but here, take this."

Monica opened her eyes and before she could say anything she started to cough violently. Chandler helped her move into a sitting position and sat next to her. "I feel hot," Monica said.

"I know sweetie, take some of this," he handed her the medicine and the glass of water, "and I'll get a cold cloth for your head, don't worry about the twins. Hopefully they won't wake up for about ½ hour then I'll get them breakfast and look after them okay, you just rest."

"What about your work Chandler?"

"I'll call Steve, explain the situation and I'll work from home today. I can't leave you alone sick honey."

Before Monica could protest Chandler walked out of the room. He came back with a cold cloth.

"Mon you'll be more comfortable in our bed," Monica held onto the medicine, water and cold cloth while Chandler picked her up and took her into their bedroom, he put her gently on the bed and pulled the covers over her. He put everything she needed on the side table and then went downstairs to his awaiting mug of coffee.

By 10am he had fed, washed and dressed the twins and comforted and supported Monica while she was being sick. Now he was typing furiously on his laptop in the kitchen, he was surrounded by papers. He was still tired, he only had an hour and half's worth of sleep, he decided to take a break and go for a drive.

After wandering for about 15 minutes Chandler ended up at a pharmacy, he wandered around until he found what he was looking for, caffeine pills. He needed to stay awake; Monica's fever was getting higher so he had to take care of the twins by himself. Plus every other second would have to be dedicated to the Jameson proposal. He paid for the pills and left, he had been out for 25 minutes now and he didn't want to leave them any longer than half an hour. He returned and after checking on everyone he took a couple of caffeine pills and returned to his work.

At 7pm that evening Ross and Rachel stood outside the Bing house; Ross knocked then opened the unlocked front door. They walked through the house and into the kitchen. They discovered Chandler at the kitchen table, pretty much the same as earlier that day, however now he his face was in a permanent frown and eyes staring at the computer screen in complete concentration, there were dark shadows under his eyes.

"Chandler are you okay?" Ross asked.

Chandler looked up, "Hi you guys, I didn't hear you come in."

Chandler looked drowsy, Ross noted to himself, "How's it going, you don't look hot man."

Chandler stood up and ran his hand through his hair, "Well the twins are getting better, they haven't been too bad today, however Mon is now sick," he sighed, "she caught it off the twins and since she was run down before that it's hit her hard. She's been sick on and off all day, only managed to keep down water and a little soup. She has a fever; it's gone from 99.5 last night to 102, so I'm checking on her every half hour."

"What about you Chandler?" Rachel asked.

"Well I don't think I have caught it off Mon, I'm taking the medicine that the doctor prescribed as well as Monica. However I've been working 7am to 10pm the last couple of days so I haven't had much sleep, and last night I only got an hour and a half so I'm struggling to stay awake now."

"Ok let us help Chandler," Rachel said, "I'll go and check on Mon and the twins and you go and lie down for a while."

"Have you eaten Chandler?" Ross asked.

Chandler thought, "Err actually I don't think so, I had some lasagne late last night but nothing since then.

"Ok while you take a nap, Rach is gonna take care of Mon and the kids and I'll put together some dinner for us."

"Ok," Chandler agreed, "but please wake me up in an hour. I need to keep working."

Ross nodded in agreement and Chandler walked into the lounge and collapsed on the couch, within moments he was asleep.

Ross was making spaghetti when Rachel came downstairs. "How are they?" Ross asked.

Rachel sat down at the table and sighed. "Well the twins are ok but Mon's fever is high and she looks a little distressed, I think we should take it in turns in watching her."

"What's her temperature?" Ross asked.

"103."

"Well if it hits 104 we call an ambulance, I'll go and watch her for a while. The spaghetti is done you just need to dish it up."

Rachel nodded and Ross went upstairs. Rachel dished up 3 plates of spaghetti and then went into the lounge to rouse Chandler. "Chandler." Rachel said while gently rubbing his arm. "Dinner is ready."

Chandler opened his eyes and groggily sat up. "What time is it?" Chandler asked.

"Just gone 8pm sweetie."

Chandler stood up and walked into the kitchen, Rachel followed him. Chandler cleared up his papers on the kitchen table and neatly piled them up so there was room to eat dinner.

"How's Monica and twins doing?" Chandler asked.

Rachel set a plate of spaghetti in front of both of them. "Well her fever is still high, 103 at the moment, if it hits 104 we are gonna call 911." After hearing this Chandler dropped his fork and started to stand up.

"I gotta go and watch her with a fever that high."

"Chandler don't worry, Ross is watching her. Now sit down and eat mister, or you'll get sick too."

Chandler gave in and sat back down, still worried about Monica though.

"Twins ok?" He added.

"Little angels as usual." Chandler smiled.

"So where's Emma tonight?" Chandler asked.

"Judy has her, thought we could give you guys a hand." Rachel replied.

Chandler smiled, "Thanks, I appreciate it."

Ross and Rachel helped out until late Friday night and then came back Saturday. On Sunday Chandler got a big shock with Joey turned up, Rachel had spoken to him and Joey had decided to take a short holiday and stay with Chandler and Monica for a week to help them out.

"Wow Joey! What are you doing here?"

"I've come to stay for a while, I miss you guys." Joey had a big grin on his face but inside he was frowning. Chandler looked exhausted; he had dark shadows under his eyes.

Chandler let Joey in and they sat down both with a beer to play catch up. Joey told Chandler about LA and how his acting is going and Chandler told Joey about his possible promotion and the twins and Monica's sickness.

Over the next few days Chandler continued to work on his proposal while Joey helped out with Monica and the children. During the day Chandler worked and throughout the night he was forever checking on Monica because of her high fever. By Tuesday Monica was well enough for Chandler to return back to work.

The last week had taken its toll on Chandler, the extra work, stress of the deadline, worry over Monica and the twins plus lack of sleep. Joey and now Monica were worried about him; he was pale, didn't eat much and barely slept. Chandler kept insisting that he was ok, that he hadn't picked up the flu from Monica however by Wednesday lunchtime Chandler's throat was on fire.

Friday was the deadline.

Chandler couldn't be sick now so he kept taking medicine and caffeine pills to help him stay awake. By the time Wednesday night came around Chandler could barely speak, he had a growing fever and he felt sick. But he didn't have the luxury of stopping and lying in bed recovering, he had until Friday to finish this proposal.

That night he ignored Monica's protests of getting an early night and stayed up working on his laptop until 12.30am. He managed to get about 3 hours sleep when his stomach woke him up. It was nearly 4am, he rushed to the bathroom and got there just in time, he leant over the toilet throwing up. He hadn't eaten much recently so he didn't throw up much however he kept heaving after his body had given up as much as it could. His heaving eventually turned to dry harsh coughing; he sat on the floor leaning against the bath trying to catch his breath. He felt so weak and so tired; he found it difficult to drag himself to his feet. He returned to bed determined that after a few hours sleep he'll feel better.

He didn't.

Chandler dragged himself into work on Thursday, he felt 10 times worse, he was coughing and spluttering all day, he was sick a couple of times and he was burning up. He was so close; he actually thought that he may get this done before the deadline. Obviously his extra work had paid off!

By 5pm Chandler was putting together the last touches to his Jameson project proposal. He was so proud, he had put 110 effort into this, and he honestly didn't think he had ever worked so hard in his life! He clicked on save and print, as the pages came off the printer Chandler smiled in spite of how ill he felt.

He stood up and leant over to the printer when he suddenly became dizzy. He held onto the edge of the desk while he tried to steady himself, it felt like his skin was on fire, he started to shake and spots danced in front of his eyes. He stumbled around his desk and leant on the wall for support. He started to cough which made him feel even more dizzy and sick. Finally his body won the battle and he coughed one last time, this time it ended in him being sick over his floor, the dots eventually blacked out his eyesight and the last thing he remembered was falling into oblivion.

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AN: Ok I noticed a few spelling mistakes so I'm re-submitting this chapter.

Reviews Please!


	2. Chapter 2

Reality Sets In.

Post-finale, Mondler, Chandler and Monica start to struggle financially with the unexpected twins.

Set 6 months after the finale.

Continued from Part 1…

Chandler stood up and leant over to the printer when he suddenly became dizzy. He held onto the edge of the desk while he tried to steady himself, it felt like his skin was on fire, he started to shake and spots danced in front of his eyes. He stumbled around his desk and leant on the wall for support. He started to cough which made him feel even more dizzy and sick. Finally his body won the battle and he coughed one last time, this time it ended in him being sick over his floor, the dots eventually blacked out his eyesight and the last thing he remembered was falling into oblivion.

And now the conclusion…

He was on fire.

Chandler moaned; his forehead had beads of sweet dripping down it. He slowly opened his eyes and tried to focus. He head was fuzzy and he didn't know where he was, he body was so heavy and the only thing he heard was his heart pumping in his ears. He took a deep breath in and tried to focus, he saw a dark object on front of him, as it was coming into focus he realised it was a desk. When the dizziness stopped him feeling sick he tried to move his arms. They felt like lead weights, it took him what seemed like a lifetime to move his arms and struggle to lift himself up, he then managed to pull himself to he knees before he needed to stop and rest.

While he caught his breath he tried to get the rest of the room in focus, his memory started to come back and he remembered that he was at work in his office.

The proposal.

Chandler turned his head to the printer on the other side of the room and saw the thick pile of paper on top; he had to get it to Steve that was his only thought. He wiped the sweat of his forehead and used the side of his desk to help him pull himself to his feet. He felt terrible and now had admitted to himself that he was sick and needed to go home, and now that he had finished the proposal, early, he could go home and let Monica fuss over him. He just needed to pick up the proposal off the printer, put it into the empty file on his desk and go give it to Steve.

How could such a small task seem so huge?

He stumbled over to the printer, picked up the paper and then stumbled back to his desk. He watched his shaky hands fumble and push the papers inside the file. The room was spinning again and Chandler knew he was going to pass out again, he moved as quickly as he could around the desk and collapsed in his chair. He gave in and picked up the phone.

"Hello, Bing Residence." Monica's voice came over the phone.

"Mon," Chandler said quietly and weakly.

"Chandler? Are you ok?" Monica said concerned.

"No Mon, I don't feel good, I'm gonna come home but I don't think I'm up to driving."

"Chandler stay there, I'll get Joey to come and pick you up."

Chandler sighed in relief. "Thanks Mon."

Next Chandler phoned Steve, "Sir, I've finished the proposal but I feel really sick so I'm going to go home. Is that ok?"

"Sure Chandler, I know how hard you've been working over the last couple of weeks. Leave it on your desk and I'll come and pick it up."

"Thanks Sir."

Chandler hung up and slumped back into his chair, he didn't even have the energy to get downstairs; he just hoped that Joey would come up and help him.

When Monica put down the phone she immediately called for Joey.

"What's wrong Mon?" Joey said concerned.

"That was Chandler, he's feeling worse but doesn't think he can drive home, could you go and pick him up please?"

"No problem Mon."

As Joey grabbed Monica's car keys and ran out the door Monica slowly sat down, she was really worried about Chandler, he had been insisting that he was okay for days now but she knew when he was lying, plus it was really obvious. He was really pale, coughing and spluttering, she watched him push around his food for the last couple of days, barely eating a thing for fear of being sick, yet he kept working, pushing himself to breaking point.

Joey parked outside Chandler's building and quickly jumped out the car. He briskly walked into Chandler's building and asked at reception for Chandler's office. He found the lifts and pushed the button for the 21st floor. The ride up was antagonising slow, the lift beeped and opened at Chandler's floor. Joey walked out and went in search of Chandler's office.

Chandler was still slumped in his office chair half awake, his fever had risen and he was becoming delirious, he kept seeing his office covered in flames and the heat made him catch his breath, then he'd blink and the flames would be gone. The pounding in his head was steadily getting worse, he tried to lift his arm and pick up the glass of water on his desk but he didn't get further than a few inches. His arm dropped back down zapped of all energy.

And then the fire returned.

Steve had enough for one day; he turned his computer off and picked up his coat and briefcase. He locked his office door and decided to stop by Chandler's office to pick up his proposal. Chandler had continuously excelled in his position, thus Steve expected his proposal to be at his usual high standard and so he was eager to read it.

When Steve walked into Chandler's office he discovered his colleague slumped in his chair, barely conscious. He rushed over to Chandler and tried to rouse him; he moaned quietly and opened his eyes slightly. Steve watched Chandler try and focus, he was incredibly pale and had a light layer of sweat covering his skin.

"Chandler can you hear me?" Steve asked.

As Joey turned yet another corner he heard someone say Chandler's name. He followed the sound into a nearby office. He found Steve, who he knew was Chandler's boss, shaking Chandler trying to wake him up. Joey rushed over.

"What happened!" Joey asked.

"I don't know; I came down to pick up Chandler's proposal and found him here like this. He called earlier and said was sick and was going home, I assumed he'd left already."

"No, he didn't think he could drive so I'm here to pick him up. Can you help me get him to the car?"

"I think we should call a doctor." Steve said.

Joey disagreed, "no, the whole family's had it, he'll be ok, he's just been working hard so he's sick and exhausted." Joey explained. Steve relented and helped Chandler up putting his arms over their shoulders and Steve and Joey supporting Chandler around his waist.

By the time they made it to the car, Steve and Joey were basically dragging Chandler, who was delirious at this stage, along. They gently put him in the passenger seat and clicked his seatbelt into place.

"Thanks." Joey said.

"Your welcome, tell him to get well soon." Steve said and stepped back as Joey got into the driver's seat.

Joey started the engine and put his seatbelt on, he glanced at Chandler, who was now mumbling to himself, and his worried frown deepened. Joey turned his attention back to the car and drove off, he needed to get Chandler to Monica, and she'll know what to do.

Monica hadn't moved since Joey had left, suddenly one of twins started crying which shocked Monica out of her frozen state. She briskly walked up to stairs and checked on her babies. She picked up Erica, who was the one crying, and rocked her gently.

"You miss Daddy don't you?" Monica said quietly. Erica returned a whimper, "yeah, I miss him too." A tear rolled slowly down Monica's cheek.

Knock knock.

Monica's head spun around, she quickly put the now sleeping Erica back into her crib and rushed downstairs and flung the front door open. But rather than Chandler and Joey, like she'd expected, stood Ross and Rachel.

"Oh it's you." Monica said disappointed.

"Jeez, thanks Mon, nice to see you too." Rachel said getting huffy. She walked past Monica with Ross in tow.

Monica sighed, "sorry Rach, but I'm expecting Chandler and Joey, Joey went to pick him up from work, he's feeling worse." Monica sat back down, getting more worried since they'd not come back yet.

Just as Monica went to sit back down there was another knock at the door, Monica rushed back and opened it.

Joey stood there, trying to hold up Chandler with one arm and the other raised to the door to knock again. "Chandler!" Monica exclaimed and rushed forward to help Joey. Ross and Rachel went to the couch and rearranged the cushions to make room to lay Chandler down. Rachel lifted the blanket, which was on the back of the couch, and held it ready to lay it over him.

Meanwhile Joey and Monica had been gently pulling Chandler over to the living room, Ross and Rachel stepped back while they laid down Chandler's limp body. Monica rushed to the bathroom and got a thermometer, she put it in his mouth and a damp cloth on his forehead. Monica sat next to him stroking his face, after a couple of minutes she pulled out the thermometer and checked it. 103.5, wow that is high.

"Guys he has 103.5 temperature." Monica whispered.

Ross walked over and knelt down next to the couch. "Try and wake him up." He told Monica.

"Chandler, sweetie wake up." Monica shook Chandler's shoulders but he remained asleep, Ross leant nearer and studied Chandler's face. "Mon he's breathing is shallow and distressed; I think you need to call a doctor."

Monica quickly walked into the kitchen to call the doctor, Ross stayed by Chandler's side. He turned and looked up at the others.

"Is he gonna be okay?" Joey asked. Ross shrugged his shoulders, not wanting to say either way.

They stood in silence, watching Chandler. A few minutes later Monica walked back in the room. She was shaking; Ross stood up and walked over to her.

"Mon what did the Doctor say?"

Monica took a deep breath. "If his temperature doesn't go down in the next 30 minutes, we have to call an ambulance." Monica started crying.

"Hey, hey," Ross said taking her into his arms. "Don't worry Mon; it's just a really bad case of the flu ok. Let's take his temperature again."

Monica knelt down and slipped the thermometer into his mouth. She studied his face, his cheeks were flushed and he had a permanent frown on his forehead. She gently placed her palm on his forehead, he still felt very hot. After a few minutes had passed to took the thermometer out of Chandler's mouth and let out the breath she was holding when she saw it had dropped to 103 degrees.

"It's dropped." Monica said.

"Ok I think it'll be best if we get him into bed." Ross suggested.

Ross and Joey pulled Chandler up and he moaned in his sleep. They gently moved him upstairs and into the bedroom. Monica rushed forward and pulled back the covers so Ross and Joey could lie him down.

"Can you get me a wet wash-cloth, a glass of water and some aspirin please?" Monica asked Ross and Joey.

Ross and Joey left the room, Monica stripped Chandler down to his boxers, his skin had a fine layer of sweat on the surface, and he started tossing and mumbling incoherently. Monica sat next to him and ran her fingers through his hair.

Ross and Joey returned with the wash-cloth, water and aspirin. Monica placed the cool cloth on Chandler's forehead while Ross put the water and tablets on the side table.

"I'm gonna stay here and watch him." Monica said without taking her eyes off Chandler.

"We'll stay and take turns Mon and help with the twins." Joey said.

"Thanks you guys." Monica said quietly.

Both Joey and Ross gave Mon a supportive hug then left her and Chandler alone.

Throughout the evening Monica barely left Chandler's side. He tossed and turned, mumbling every now and then. He woke up briefly, but was very disorientated and dazed, he complained about feeling sick and Monica rushed out of the room to get a bucket for him. When she returned Chandler was coughing violently.

"Oh Chandler." Monica said softly, she walked over to him and passed him the bucket. He coughed for a few more seconds then was finally sick. Monica winced and rubbed his back gently, she was sad that he was feeling this bad and so worried. When he was finished Monica took the bucket and went to empty it. When she returned Chandler was drifting back to sleep, Monica roused him gently.

"Honey, you need to take some aspirin." Chandler half-opened his eyes and slowly pushed himself up on his elbows. Monica handed him 2 aspirin and the glass of water, he swallowed the tablets then collapsed back into bed.

"I'm cold." He whispered, Monica pulled the covers over him then placed her hand on his head. He was still very warm, she decided to take his temperature again before she checked on the twins and got into bed next to him.

As the night went on Chandler got more and more restless, he woke up 2 more times to be sick and then after, when there was nothing left in his stomach he started to cough more and heave every hour or so.

When morning came around Monica woke up to Chandler coughing again, much worse than the previous night, she sat up with him rubbing his back trying to sooth him but the coughing just got worse.

"Mon…" Chandler struggled to say, "I… can't… breath… right." Chandler started panicking.

Monica turned Chandler's face towards hers.

"Chandler look at me." Chandler did so, "now calm down, breath through your nose and out you mouth."

"I… can't." Chandler said.

"Yes you can. Breath with me Chandler," Monica tried to stay calm, Chandler didn't need her panicking. But inside she was freaking out. "In… and out." Monica breathed with him. "In… and out. That's it honey."

When Chandler had calmed down Monica helped to prop him up in bed so his lungs weren't restricted. She got him a glass of water and stayed with him until he was starting to fall asleep again. Then she crept out and went downstairs. When she entered the lounge she found Joey lying on the couch with the TV still on. Ross and Rachel had left late the night before since Joey said he would stay and help Monica. Monica walked over to Joey and shook him gently.

"Joey wake up."

"Whaaa…" Joey yawned. "Hey Mon, how's Chandler?"

Finally the tears came. "Oh Joey he's getting worse, he can't breath right!"

"Oh Mon," Joey pulled her down to him for a hug. "Maybe you should call the doctor again?"

Monica nodded and stood up to go and get the phone, before she did so one of the twins started crying.

"Mon you go and sort out the twins, I'll call the doctor and check on Chandler."

Monica smiled gratefully and walked up the stairs. Joey got the phone and doctor's number then walked upstairs to check on Chandler. He knocked on the bedroom door and then slowly walked in when he didn't get a response. Chandler was still lying half-sitting on the bed; his breathing was laboured and looked terrible, worse than the night before.

"Chandler?" Joey said. No response, Joey walked around to Chandler's side of the bed and shook him gently, "Chandler wake up."

Nothing, Joey studied Chandler for a few minutes, his breathing was getting more and more laboured and shallow, Joey shook his head with worry and called the doctor on the cordless phone.

Monica was changing the twins when she heard Joey yell out for her. She gently placed her babies back into their cribs then rushed into her and Chandler's bedroom. She found Joey standing next to Chandler, fear in his eyes and he was giving out their address to someone on the phone. When he hung up he turned to Monica.

"Mon I talked to the doctor, he told me to call an ambulance." Monica let out a cry and flew at Chandler. She cradled Chandler and sobbed.

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AN: Okay so sorry for the delay, this has been written for a while I just haven't had a chance to upload it. It was gonna be only a 2-parter but I'm stuck at the moment so all suggestions greatly received andthis will be concluded in chapter 3.

PS: I finally passed my driving test and have bought a car, now that THAT worry is off my chest I can start finishing all the unfinished fics I have on my laptop and start posting them. Yay!


	3. Chapter 3

Reality Sets In.

Post-finale, Mondler, Chandler and Monica start to struggle financially with the unexpected twins.

Set 6 months after the finale.

Continued from Part 2…

Monica was changing the twins when she heard Joey yell out for her. She gently placed her babies back into their cribs then rushed into her and Chandler's bedroom. She found Joey standing next to Chandler, fear in his eyes and he was giving out their address to someone on the phone. When he hung up he turned to Monica.

"Mon I talked to the doctor, he told me to call an ambulance." Monica let out a cry and flew at Chandler. She cradled Chandler and sobbed.

And now the conclusion…

Monica held Chandler's hand all the way to the hospital, Joey stayed behind to look after the twins and wait for Phoebe then he was going to make his way to the hospital while Phoebe stayed with Jack and Erica.

Monica was crying in the waiting room when Ross and Rachel ran in.

"Oh Mon," Ross said engulfing her in a hug.

"I can't believe this is happening." Monica sobbed.

"Has the doctor talked to you yet?" Rachel asked while joining the hug.

Monica shook her head and ran her hands through her hair.

She sat down and whispered. "Please let him be ok."

They sat there in silence until finally a doctor came up to them.

"Mrs. Bing?" He asked.

"Yes that's me," she took a deep breath and ran her hands through her hair. "How's Chandler?"

The doctor paused. "Mr. Bing has a severe case of flu which has developed into bronchitis."

Monica's hands flew to her mouth and Ross put an arm around her shoulders in support. "Will he be okay?"

"He should make a full recovery, however I am concerned how badly this virus has affected Mr. Bing. From his medical records he appears to be a healthy 35 year old man. We've run tests and currently awaiting the results, have you noticed any decline in you husband's health?"

"Well he's been working very hard recently, lots of extra hours plus our children and I both had the flu. He was the last one to get it." Monica shook her head sadly, "He's been pushing himself too hard." She finished quietly.

The doctor sighed. "Sounds like he has." He paused. "He's sleeping now, he's temperature is still higher than normal but it's no longer dangerously high. We've incubated him to stop the chronic coughing and breathlessness. We've given him antibiotics and a sedative to help him sleep."

"Can we see him?" Monica asked.

"Of course, he's in room 291, down the hall and to the right," he pointed. "I'll come back when we get the results." He politely smiled and walked away.

When Monica entered Chandler's room her heart jumped, he looked so small and frail, engulfed in the large hospital bed. He had a tube down his throat which was attached to a respirator and lots of wires on his chest and arms, hooked up to other machines. He was very pale and had dark shadows under his eyes, every few seconds his body would slightly shake; he still had a slight fever. Monica walked over and sat down in the chair next to his bed. She leant forward and her left hand held his hand while her right hand caressed his face.

Ross and Rachel stood in the doorway and watched them, after a few minutes they heard Monica cry softly. Ross stepped forward but Rachel stopped him and nodded for them to leave. They closed the door behind them and sat in the corridor keeping an eye out for Joey.

Monica heard the door click behind her and was grateful that they had left her alone with Chandler. She sat there, stroking his face and whispering how much she loved him and wanted him to get better. Eventually Monica fell asleep with her head on Chandler's bed and her hand tightly wrapped around his.

What the…? Something was in his throat, Chandler panicked. His eyes flew open, his mind battling the black void that was trying to overtake him. White ceiling, he mused in between panicked thoughts, he clenched his hands. Monica, she rushed into his mind when he felt her delicate hand wrapped around his, he turned his head, which in turn stirred the sleeping Monica.

Monica woke when she felt his hand squeeze hers. She lifted her head and saw her husband's beautiful blue eyes stare into hers, she saw panic and confusion. Chandler's free hand had moved to his mouth in an attempt to remove the tube from his throat, Monica noticed and her free hand intercepted his.

"Its okay sweetie, you're in hospital. The tube is helping you breath."

Chandler was still panicking, he was trying to breath but he couldn't, the black void loomed closer, his eyes started to roll back in his head as he hit a full blown panic attack and his limbs started to shake.

"Chandler!" Monica yelled, "look at me, hey," she leant over and shook his shoulders. "Come on baby, calm down." She ended gently.

Chandler did his best to fight the panic; he relaxed a little and managed to meet Monica's eyes.

"That's it baby." Monica soothed Chandler.

Chandler didn't break eye contact until the void completely engulfed him.

Joey had arrived a few hours earlier and had staked outside Chandler's room with Ross and Rachel. Rachel had eventually fallen asleep on Ross and he rested his head on hers, then Ross fell asleep.

Joey couldn't sleep.

He sat there waiting for hours, every now and then popping his head into Chandler's room. Last time he checked they were both fast asleep. It was about 40 minutes after he checked on Chandler when he heard Monica yell out his name.

"Chandler! Look at me, hey!"

Joey didn't think he moved quicker in his life.

He rushed into Chandler's room to find him shaking on the bed with Monica leaning over trying to calm him down. Joey stood there silent and listened to Monica's soothing words which eventually sent Chandler to sleep.

Monica stepped back; Joey stepped forward and engulfed her in a supportive hug. She quietly cried for a few minutes then broke the embrace and ran her fingers through her hair.

"I'm gonna go and find Chandler's doctor, tell him about Chandler's panic attack. Will you stay here and watch over him?" Monica asked.

"Mon of course!"

"I'll be back soon," she said quietly and walked out the door. Joey sat down and looked at Chandler; he wished he could click his fingers and make his friend better.

After about 5 minutes Monica returned with Chandler's doctor. He walked over to Chandler and looked in his eyes with his penlight. Monica saw Chandler flinch and rushed to his side, gently taking his hand. Chandler gently opened his eyes again.

"Chandler can you hear me?" The doctor asked.

Chandler nodded every so slightly.

"I'm going to remove this tube okay, when I do I want you to take a deep breath in, okay Chandler?"

Chandler nodded again. The doctor pulled the tube out and Chandler started to cough, after a few seconds the coughing eased and he turned his head towards Monica, who had tears rolling down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry I made you cry baby." Chandler whispered.

"Chandler I was so scared." She said.

"Chandler you're wife has been telling me that you have been pushing yourself hard recently." The doctor interrupted.

"I know." Chandler said quietly.

"You need to take better care of yourself, not just for you but for your family." He paused "You are suffering with a severe case of bronchitis as well as the flu. Now if your fever goes all the way down I will consider releasing you the day after tomorrow. But I want you to fully recover; I'm going to sign you off work for a week."

"But!" Chandler started to protest.

"No buts, you need to make a full recovery." The doctor ended the conversation. "Now you must excuse me."

The doctor left the room. Monica sat on the edge of the bed and held Chandler's hand. "I want you to get better baby," Monica said gently, "I'll call Steve and explain." Chandler sighed and turned his head away.

"Hey," Monica said turned his head back with her hand, "what's wrong."

"It looks like I can't cut it." Chandler said sadly.

"What? Chandler what do you mean you can't cut it?"

"I'm so much older than the other people I'm competing with for this project, the fact that I ended up in hospital doesn't look good."

"Chandler that's plain stupid, we've all been sick, you couldn't help that, and the fact that you finished the project before the deadline whilst being sick shows how good you are!"

Since Monica and the doctor came back into Chandler's room Joey had moved to the back of the room and silently watched on, concerned for this best friend. He couldn't listen to this any longer; it hurt to watch his best friend worry, so he slipped out unnoticed.

Joey started to walk down the hospital corridor; he was so deep in thought that he didn't notice he was heading for someone until it was too late.

"Ouch," Joey said, "Oh I'm sorry… Oh hi!" Joey started apologising until he recognised the man.

"Hi, Joey is it?" Steve said. "I called Chandler at home but someone said that he was in here. Is he ok?"

"Oh yeah, well he's getting better, he's in room 291 if you want to see him." Joey paused. "You know he feels bad about getting sick when he had so much work. He worked really hard on this project, he wants it so bad." Joey said.

"I know." Steve said smiling, and then he walked past Joey to Chandler's room.

The door was ajar so he knocked on the door frame. They both turned their heads towards the door.

"Hi Steve." Chandler said nervously, "come in."

"Wow Chandler you look like hell. Nothing serious I hope?" Steve said concerned.

"No, just mostly flu, I'm afraid that the doctor wants to sign me off for the next week but I'll definitely be back for the project start date that is if you want me to be back."

Steve was confused. "I'm not here to fire you Chandler, or reprimand you for being sick. I'm here to congratulate you." Steve smiled.

"What?" Chandler was now confused.

"You got the promotion Chandler. That project proposal was excellent; the standard of it was first class."

Monica hugged Chandler, Chandler look shocked. "Serious?"

"Yes." Steve simply said.

"Oh my god!" Chandler said as loud as he could.

"Congratulations Chandler." Steve said holding out his hand. Chandler took it and gave a big smile.

"Thank you so much."

"You earned it. Now get better, we'll see you bright and early Monday-week."

Steve walked out closing the door behind him.

"I'm so proud of you." Monica whispered to Chandler.

Two days Chandler was released from the hospital, Joey drove him home so Monica could stay home with the twins. As Chandler walked up the pathway with Joey it hit him how much he missed his home after just 2 days. He put his key in the lock, turned and then pushed the door open.

He was greeted by the rest of the gang and loads of congratulations balloons and banners, Monica walked up to him and gave him a hug.

"Thanks you guys, I don't know what to say." Chandler said.

He got a round of you're welcomes and then he was lead to the couch by Monica. She pushed him down and then went to bring the twins; he gave Erica to Chandler whilst she held Jack. She sat down next to him and they cradled their children.

"Mon," Chandler started, "we've made it, our perfect family, we have a wonderful home, and we now have financial security for the foreseeable future. Everything's perfect." Chandler had tears in his eyes.

"I know." Monica replied and leant over and pecked him on the lips.

Reality had set in and they wouldn't change a thing.

Everything was perfect.


End file.
